This is a list of Standard English collective nouns. The large number of collective nouns in English is based on a tradition of venery which arose in the Late Middle Ages.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Standard terms for particular groups are listed first in each group and shown in bold.
| Subject | Collective Noun | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| alligators | congregation | ||
| antelope | herd | ||
| ants | army | ||
| bike | |||
| colony | |||
| nest | |||
| swarm | |||
| apes | shrewdness | ||
| troop | |||
| asses | herd | ||
| coffle | a roped line | ||
| drove | driven in a group | ||
| pace or passe | |||
| auks | colony | on land | |
| flock | at sea | ||
| raft | on water | ||
| avocets | colony | ||
| B | |||
| baboons | troop | ||
| badgers | cete | ||
| colony | |||
| barbels | shoal | ||
| bats | cloud | ||
| colony | |||
| bears | sleuth or sloth | ||
| beavers | colony | ||
| family | |||
| bees | swarm | ||
| colony | |||
| erst | |||
| grist | |||
| birds | flock | ||
| dissimulation | fanciful | ||
| fleet | |||
| flight | |||
| parcel | |||
| pod | |||
| volary | in an aviary | ||
| bishops | bench | ||
| bison | herd | ||
| bitterns | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| boars (male pigs) | herd | See also hogs, pigs, swine | |
| singular | |||
| boars (wild boars) | sounder | 12 or more | |
| boys | blush | ||
| buffalo | herd | ||
| gang | |||
| bullfinches | bellowing | ||
| bullocks | drove | driven in a group | |
| bursars | cheat | ||
| bustards | flock | ||
| butlers | draught | ||
| butterflies | flight | ||
| rabble | |||
| buzzards | wake | ||
| C | |||
| capercaillie | tok | ||
| capons | mews | ||
| caribou | herd | ||
| cats | clowder | ||
| cluster or clutter | |||
| glaring | |||
| pounce | |||
| cats (wild cats) | destruction | ||
| caterpillars | army | ||
| cattle | herd | ||
| drove | |||
| chickens | brood | ||
| clutch | |||
| peep | |||
| choughs | chattering or clattering | ||
| civil servants | file | ||
| cobblers | drunkenship or drunkship | ||
| colts | rag | ||
| rake | |||
| cormorants | gulp | ||
| cooks | hastiness | ||
| coots | covert | ||
| coyotes | pack | ||
| cranes | herd | ||
| sedge or sege | |||
| crocodiles | bask | ||
| float | |||
| crows | murder | ||
| curlews | herd | ||
| D | |||
| deer | herd | ||
| bunch | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| rangale | |||
| dogs | pack | ||
| dogfish | troop | ||
| dolphins | pod | ||
| school | |||
| team | |||
| dotterel | trip | ||
| doves | dole or dule | fanciful | |
| flight | |||
| piteousness | fanciful | ||
| ducks | flock | ||
| badling | |||
| brace | |||
| bunch | on water | ||
| paddling | on water | ||
| plump | |||
| raft | on water | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| sord or sore | |||
| string | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| waddling | |||
| dunlins | fling | ||
| E | |||
| eagles | convocation | ||
| eels | bed | ||
| swarm | |||
| elephants | herd | ||
| elk | gang | ||
| F | |||
| ferrets | business | corruption over time of 'busyness' | |
| busyness | |||
| fesnyng | |||
| finches | charm or chirm | ||
| fish | school | ||
| shoal | |||
| flamingoes | stand | ||
| flies | business | ||
| cloud | |||
| swarm | |||
| foresters | stalk | ||
| foxes | leash | ||
| skulk | |||
| frogs | army | ||
| G | |||
| geese | flock | on land | |
| gaggle | on land | ||
| plump | flying close | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| giraffes | herd | ||
| corps | |||
| tower | |||
| gnats | cloud | ||
| horde | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| goats | flock | ||
| herd | |||
| tribe | |||
| trip or trippe | |||
| gods | pantheon | See Pantheon | |
| goldfinches | charm | ||
| goosanders | dopping | ||
| gorillas | band | ||
| whoop | |||
| goshawks | flight | ||
| grasshoppers | cloud | ||
| swarm | |||
| grouse | covey | ||
| pack | |||
| guineafowl | rasp | ||
| H | |||
| hares | down | ||
| drove | |||
| flick | |||
| husk | |||
| hawks | boil | two or more spiralling in flight | |
| cast | |||
| kettle | flying in large numbers | ||
| lease | |||
| harts | herd | ||
| hedgehogs | array | ||
| herons | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| hermits | observance | ||
| hippopotamuses | bloat | ||
| hogs | parcel | See also boars, pigs, swine | |
| horses | team | in harness | |
| band | |||
| haras or harrase | |||
| herd | |||
| stable | |||
| string | |||
| stud | |||
| hounds | pack | ||
| cry | |||
| hunt | |||
| meet | |||
| mute | |||
| stable | |||
| hyenas | cackle | ||
| I | |||
| ibex | herd | ||
| ibises | colony | ||
| iguanas | mess | ||
| insects | flight | ||
| horde | |||
| plague | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| J | |||
| jackdaws | train | ||
| jays | band | ||
| party | |||
| scold | |||
| jellyfish | fluther | ||
| smack | |||
| K | |||
| kangaroos | mob | ||
| troop | |||
| L | |||
| lapwings | deceit or desert | ||
| larks | bevy | ||
| exaltation | |||
| leopards | leap or lepe | ||
| lions | pride | ||
| sawt | |||
| M | |||
| mackerel | shoal | ||
| magpies | charm | ||
| congregation | |||
| gulp | |||
| murder | |||
| tiding | |||
| tittering | |||
| mallard | brace | ||
| flush | |||
| puddling | |||
| sord | |||
| suit or sute | |||
| mares | stud | ||
| martens | richesse or richness | ||
| mice | nest | ||
| trip | |||
| minnows | shoal | ||
| moles | company | ||
| labor or labour | |||
| monkeys | barrel | ||
| cartload | |||
| tribe | |||
| troop | |||
| wilderness | |||
| moorhens | plump | ||
| moose | herd | ||
| mosquitoes | scourge | ||
| mudhens | fleet | ||
| mules | barren | ||
| pack | |||
| rake | |||
| span | |||
| N | |||
| nightingales | watch | ||
| nuns | superfluity | ||
| O | |||
| owls | parliament | ||
| oxen | drove | ||
| team | |||
| yoke | |||
| P | |||
| parrots | company | ||
| pandemonium | |||
| partridges | covey | ||
| peacocks | muster | ||
| ostentation | |||
| pride | |||
| pelicans | pod | ||
| pheasants | bouquet | ||
| head | |||
| nest | |||
| nide | |||
| nye | |||
| pigs | drift | See also boars, hogs, swine | |
| drove | |||
| pipers | poverty | ||
| pigeons | kit | flying together | |
| plovers | congregation | ||
| stand | |||
| wing | |||
| Q | |||
| quail | bevy | ||
| covey | |||
| drift | |||
| R | |||
| raccoons | gaze | ||
| ravens | unkindness | ||
| rhinoceroses | crash | ||
| rooks | building | ||
| parliament | |||
| S | |||
| salmon | bind | ||
| draught | |||
| run | |||
| sandpipers | fling | ||
| seals | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| rookery | |||
| sheep | flock | ||
| down | |||
| drift | when driven in a group | ||
| drove | when driven in a group | ||
| herd | |||
| hurtle | |||
| meinie | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| trip | |||
| sheldrake | dopping | ||
| snails | escargatoire | ||
| rout | |||
| walk | |||
| snakes | bed | ||
| den | |||
| knot | |||
| nest | |||
| pit | |||
| snipe | walk | ||
| whisp or wisp | |||
| sparrows | host | ||
| meinie | |||
| tribe | |||
| spiders | cluster or clutter | ||
| squirrels | colony | ||
| dray | |||
| scurry | |||
| starlings | chattering | ||
| clattering | |||
| cloud | |||
| congregation | |||
| murmuration | |||
| stoats | pack | ||
| trip | |||
| storks | flight | ||
| mustering | |||
| phalanx | when migrating | ||
| swallows | flight | ||
| gulp | |||
| swans | bank | on the ground | |
| bevy | |||
| drift | |||
| eyrar | |||
| flight | |||
| game | |||
| herd | |||
| lamentation | fanciful | ||
| sownder | |||
| team | |||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| whiting | |||
| swifts | flock | ||
| scream | |||
| swine | doylt | See also boars, hogs, pigs | |
| drift | |||
| trip | |||
| T | |||
| teal | spring | ||
| tigers | ambush | ||
| streak | |||
| toads | knot | ||
| nest | |||
| trout | hover | ||
| turkeys | gang | ||
| rafter | |||
| turtles | bale | ||
| dole | |||
| nest | |||
| turtle doves | dole or dule | ||
| pitying | |||
| U | |||
| V | |||
| vipers | nest | ||
| W | |||
| walruses | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| waterfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | |||
| raft | |||
| weasels | colony | ||
| pack | |||
| whales | gam | ||
| herd | |||
| mob | |||
| pod | |||
| wigeons | company | ||
| trip | |||
| wildfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | fewer than 30 | ||
| plump | |||
| trip | |||
| wolves | pack | ||
| rout or route | when in movement | ||
| woodcocks | fall | ||
| woodpeckers | descent | ||
| wrens | herd | ||
| X | |||
| Y | |||
| Z | |||
| zebras | herd | ||
| cohort | |||
| zeal |
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Top A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, collective and/or nouns:
“Modern tourist guides have helped raised tourist expectations. And they have provided the natives—from Kaiser Wilhelm down to the villagers of Chichacestenango—with a detailed and itemized list of what is expected of them and when. These are the up-to- date scripts for actors on the tourists’ stage.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“Feminism is an entire world view or gestalt, not just a laundry list of women’s issues.”
—Charlotte Bunch (b. 1944)
“We attempt to remember our collective American childhood, the way it was, but what we often remember is a combination of real past, pieces reshaped by bitterness and love, and, of course, the video past—the portrayals of family life on such television programs as “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” and all the rest.”
—Richard Louv (20th century)
“Children and savages use only nouns or names of things, which they convert into verbs, and apply to analogous mental acts.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)